With companies battling it out to hire the best talent, it is no wonder they put lots of effort into the search for the best. The recruiting and hiring process can be quite a hassle and may require lots of time and energy to complete the task.

Why is it that some companies face higher turnover rates than others? No managers or leaders of companies get excited about a high turnover rate, and for good reason. According to the Wall Street Journal, “experts estimate it costs upwards of twice an employee’s salary to find and traina replacement.” So what are reasons that cause high turnover and how can companies create an employee retention plan that works?

The war for the right talent is vigorous and costly. Studies show that companies have spent over a third of their talent acquisition budgets on third party agencies, but with a result of only 8% positions being filled. The cost of talent acquisition has increased to around $124 billion with a calculated average of $3,500 per new hire. So, how can you make every penny you spend worth it and attract the right talent?

A recent Gallup survey of over 350,000 participants collected over three years, found that 70% of Americans are not engaged in their work. This potentially costs the United States anywhere from $450 to $550 billion yearly in lost productivity (Forbes).

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just three days away. You have been busy with work, family and now the holiday season has commenced. For the past 25 days, people have been posting on Facebook and Twitter the things they are thankful for. Ranging from their spouse to coffee on a cold morning, people seem to be very thankful for a lot of things. We all have things to be thankful for, one of which I’m sure several people have heard is that they have a job. It’s nice being able to pay bills on time and enjoy a little fun time with friends. This leads me to wonder though, how thankful are businesses/managers for their employees?

With the changing of the season to autumn, the temperature has already begun to drop, the leaves have begun to change colors, and soon the leaves will fall. If you’re lucky enough, you get to see the changing of the seasons and experience all four seasons, depending on your geographic location. When you experience all of these changes, one must adapt to their new surroundings.

Does money really buy happiness? Sure money can buy the latest in fashion, the fastest car, and the biggest house; but at the workplace, is it more important to have a higher salary or have lasting relationships based on encouragement?

Today, I want to talk about receiving recognition. This is very important because it shows the employee that someone cares about their work and appreciates their efforts in the company. Don’t you agree that it feels great when your supervisor or a colleague compliments your work or says a simple “great job” to you once you’ve completed a task? It’s nice to know that your efforts are being recognized.

In the current parlance, silos are actually a relatively recent concept, at least as a derogatory term, for lack of communication throughout an organization or for restrictions in the flow of information from one business unit to another. After all, in the 1990s, people would occasionally discuss silos in terms of vertical integration. In such cases, organizations attempted more control over their supply chains so as to be less dependent on external suppliers or distributors, and the term silo accurately describes a cylindrical structure that keeps in the organization's money and keeps out those other fingers grasping for a share of corporate revenues.